1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the treating of meat to improve tenderness and, more particularly, to a meat tenderizing device and method wherein connective tissue of the meat is cut and torn apart.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
When an animal is slaughtered to produce comestible meat, there are many cuts of meat which are too tough for ordinary consumption without requiring some sort of treatment to tenderize the meat. The toughness of meat, particularly beef, is caused by connective tissue, such as tendons, holding the meat together and rendering the meat difficult to chew. In order to tenderize such cuts of meat to render them more suitable for human consumption, it has been conventional in the past to either treat the meat with a tenderizing agent, which has the disadvantage of altering the taste of the meat, or to utilize meat tenderizing devices whose purpose is to cut or tear the connective tissue of the meat, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,550,777 to Bloomfield, 2,001,641 to West and 2,008,326 to Harvey. Such meat tenderizing devices, while recognizing the need to destroy the connective tissue of the meat to render it tender, have had the disadvantages of bruising and changing the texture of the meat, and of requiring much physical effort and time while not tenderizing the meat to the extent desired; and, thus, such devices are not employed by many who would like to be able to serve normally tough, less expensive cuts of meat.